Ten In Twelve...

The honor roll for last year...

It's that time of the year when I look back on 2012 in film...

There were a lot of films that I saw that didn't make the top ten.  Many were good, but didn't make it in to my list.  It doesn't mean they weren't good, or I didn't like them, but it's simply a matter of taste.  These are the films that reflect what I liked best.  I'm sure your list would be different because everyone has their own likes and dislikes.  Life is filled with variety and flavor, and it's great we all have the choices we do, and the freedom to actually choose our own desires.

So, without further ado...


10  Looper - Finally, a futuristic film that didn't try and rip off "Blade Runner" in its approach to the story.  Looper is a great twist on time travel, and originality with Joseph Gordon Levitt and Bruce Willis channeling the same character; one from the future and one from the far future.  A clever script, a interesting tale, and a compelling ending that wasn't all wrapped up in a bow.

 9 - The Grey - A harsh tale, centering on Liam Neeson and a band of survivors of a plane crash as they trudge through the wilderness looking for civilization.  I've never been so happy to have electricity.  It shows how primitive things can get when all that we have fails us.  All we have left is what makes us human to survive with.

 8  Argo - Watching the first ten minutes of this film make it seem like it was set in current times, with current conflicts.  But this film is shot like the wonderful 70's films like "All the Presidents Men" and "The Parallax View," even though it's a clean cut story of getting a group of Americans out of a very bad situation.  It shows you the messy bureaucracy that people have to go through, to get common sense done in a chaotic situation.  Ben Affleck shows his directing chops at their best with his third film behind the camera.  A gripping film that has you invest in all the characters and root for their escape from a bit of history that many have forgotten.

 7  The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey - The first third of a massive nine hour film, really.  And since you know I love "The Lord of the Rings," I'm sure you'd think I like this.  And you would be right.  Even though the film has added scenes not in the book, the story feels great and expansive.  It takes almost an hour to get out of The Shire, but for those like me who love Middle-Earth, it's a wonderful chance to enjoy the world that Tolkien created.  While some were left frustrated with the open ended conclusion, I simple was frustrated at having to wait an entire year to see Smaug.

 6 - Zero Dark Thirty - A intriguing portrait of what it takes to find a monster.  The details of what it took to find Osama Bin Laden in what would be the biggest manhunt in human history is at once, both frustrating and fascinating.  It takes you to a very different place and shows you how, and why the murky shades of grey fall to one side or the other.  The last act as they descend on the compound in Pakistan is incredibly gripping with tension, even though we know the outcome.

 5   Django Unchained - It was as if Sergio Leone had made a comedy.  A bloody, bloody comedy.  Quentin Tarantino's revisionist/escapist take on the War of Northern Aggression is a funny, brutal twist on the spaghetti westerns of the 60's/70's that were so iconic in American film history.  The characters were all interesting, even when they were bad, really bad.  The tale of a slave taking revenge for the act that led to his people being put in chains was an interesting twist on the Western, or the Southern, as Tarantino would call his.

 4   Jack Reacher - Tom Cruise plays a character that looks nothing like him with a great amount of skill and believability.  I was skeptical when I heard that he had signed on to play the character of Jack Reacher, but will admit that there was no need to be.  It's a fine detective story of a man who was built to take and handle a whole lot of pain.  Reacher is a man that finds himself in some serious trouble, but it's usually trouble that he is looking for.  This film was like watching an old, late 60's/early 70's film with the very organic way it was handled.  A great through back to the kind of films that Steve McQueen used to do.  The car chase in it is very reminiscent of the one in "Bullitt" and Cruise gets kudos for doing most of the stunt work himself.

 3   Skyfall - A great Bond film.  Not as good as "Casino Royale" was, but darn good.  Daniel Craig shows why he's the best James Bond since the original here in this tale that actually delves into the past of 007, and shows us a bit of why he is who he is.  With a very muted ending that comes out as if it is something from the Seventies (like Jack Reacher), like "Get Carter" or "Point Blank" type films.   More license to kill, the better when in the capable hands of Sam Mendes and Craig.

 2   Marvel's The Avengers - Nothing like going to the theater for a Saturday matinee, even if it's not on a Saturday.  This big budget superhero film is a refreshing break from the bleak, dark and serious stories told by Hollywood today.  It didn't try and explain away the tights, it embraced them and had a grand time doing so.  I look forward to more of these adventures.

 1   Prometheus - A controversial film that many either loves or hated.  I was in the "loved" camp.  I found the correlation between our own history and the creation of our existence a fascinating story.  Finding out we didn't evolve from monkeys has never been so interesting to me.  Ridley Scott's return to a film that made his career is a grand tale, told by a master of film in a way that few films do today.  If you haven't seen it, please do.  If you have seen it, take a look at it again.  There is so much here to ponder.



Honorable Mention (In No Particular Order):

The Impossible

 The Amazing Spider-Man

Les Miserables

The Cabin In The Woods

John Carter 

The Raid: Redemption

Snow White and the Huntsman 

Wreck-It Ralph

Life of Pi

Flight

Cloud Atlas 

Eleven In 11...

By the NUMBers...






Before we go any further into this year I wanted to mention what I'm looking forward to in the coming year on the silver screen...

Since this is 2011 I thought I'd give you my Top Eleven films that I'm looking forward to over the next twelve months. Some of them are obvious and some might be a surprise. I know many of you will notice the absence of several films I've talked about before. These are simply what I've found most interesting. I had to make the cut somewhere and eleven it was, or twenty-two if you count the runner ups. Again, personal taste here. Your list will most likely be different than mine since you, are naturally not me. No big surprise there, but if you have your own preferences feel free to leave them in the comments section, guys.

The Top Eleven:

1: Captain America: The First Avenger - One of favorite Marvel characters finally comes to life in an authentic adaptation. And it's set in World War II with period dialog. I am so there. Joe Johnston has always had a particular look that I feel suits this property, but he's never had a great script to work with. From what I've heard, the script for this is spot on and he has no excuse not to make a great, pop-culture piece of cinema this time.

2: X-Men: First Class - Matthew Vaughn has made some entertaining films. I've been a fan of all three of the films he's made, particularly "Layer Cake" and "Kick-Ass." He's one of those people in Hollywood that gets it when it comes to comic books and adapting them. This being the origin of how Professor Xavier's School for Gifted Children began is intriguing. Setting it in a retro-James Bond 60's!? A period comic book movie!!? One that actually follows the time line of the original comic!!!? Bring it on.

3: Sucker Punch - I remember hearing about Zack Synder's "Dawn of the Dead" film and was totally against it. Till I was forced to watch it. I thoroughly enjoyed "300" and yes, even "Watchmen," so I was curious to see what his first film not based on a comic would be. I still have no clue, but man does it look like a visually, drug induced trip to someplace I want to be. Watching this trailer made me imagine what's in store for us with his "Man of Steel" project. Until then, this film is what will be calling me in March.

4: Super-8 - Spielberg and Abrams together. A film that hearkens back to the Wunderkind's early days of Ambin and all that magic he created? A science fiction piece that sounds like a dark "E.T." meets "Stand By Me" from this duo is just what summer was created for.

5: Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol - Yeah, I hear you. Two words: Brad Bird. That alone is enough to get me in that theater seat. Add in to the mix the story being from J.J. Abrams and his "Lost" writers and I'm willing to see this. Bird has never done me wrong so I'm not going to doubt him now. He's a director that has an amazing sense of story and action and pacing with endearing characters that you feel for. I hated MI 1 and MI2, but really liked MI3. It was the only one of the three that seemed to have a soul. I have high hopes that this one will be even better than Abrams own take on the franchise. Fourth time's the charm.

6: The Beaver - This script was on the Black List a year or so ago as one of the best unmade scripts. Jodie Foster is a very good, restrained director with an eclectic taste in material. I have heard rumors that Mel Gibson gives a performance that is Oscar worthy and unflinchingly raw with emotion. One that could bring him back in the graces of many in Hollywood. Come March, we'll all find out.

7: Cowboys & Aliens - We've reached the saturation point where no one genre can support itself it seems. Everything that's been done, has been done. So now we have to meld them together. Sci-Fi and Western are or were a hard concept to fathom, until seeing the trailer featuring the new James Bond and the only Indiana Jones in the Old West. Spaceships and steam trains? In the war for new ideas this is a battle I'm ready to sign up for.

8: Hugo Cabret - Very simple. A phrase I never thought I'd hear. A children's film by Martin Scorsese in 3D. I know it's a period piece that involves an innocent boy and the world he constructs around him. Other than that, all I know is that I'll be in line on opening night.

9: The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo - When December comes around it's always time for another David Fincher film. This one is a remake of Swedish film based on an incredibly popular novel in a series based on a female investigator named Lisbeth Salander. It sounds like a "Corporate Se7en" with shades of elements from "The Big Sleep." I look forward to seeing this film from the future director of "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea." It is Fincher after all, his credit sequences are better than most films.

10: Kung Fu Panda 2: The Kaboom of Doom - I adore "Kung Fu Panda," as it's the only film that DreamWorks Animation has done that is Pixar quality ("How to Train Your Dragon" was a close second). It'll be interesting to see if the sequel can hold up to the original. I certainly hope so and plan on paying to find out. All those little teasers so far have been hilarious. And how can you go wrong with a screenplay that was polished by Charlie Kaufman?

11: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows - Part 2 - I thought that part one of "Deathly Hollows" was the best in the series. Some found it slow and boring, but I loved getting to see these characters react to their increasingly bleak futures. I hear that part two is nothing short of a full blown action film with wizards and battles between good and evil. I'm bringing my wand and hoping for a satisfying finish to one of the most successful franchises in film history.


And the Top Eleven Runner Ups (in no particular order):

Battle: Los Angeles - Black Hawk Down meets District 9? I'm in.

Immortals - Another visually interesting take on mortals and the gods that abuse them? So long as it's not rushed into conversion like "Clash of the Titans" was.

The Hangover: Part 2 - Laughed my backside off watching the original and hope for the same with this one. Will it? Don't know, but will give it a chance.

Source Code - Duncan Jones' Sci-Fi story of a soldier that wakes up in a different body of an unidentified man and forced to relive over and over again a horrifying train bombing until he can figure out who is responsible for it.

Rango - A very surreal Western told with animals. Gore Verbinski's first animated film. Curious to see. It should be interesting, no mater what.

Haywire - Steven Soderbergh's spy-action story of a female black ops super soldier that gets betrayed on a mission and seeks revenge. This should be a nice warm up before he films "The Man from U.N.C.L.E."(with I hope, George Clooney).

Drive Angry - This looks like a perfect drive-in movie for an age that doesn't know what a drive-in is. Nick Cage looks cheesy in a very good way and this film looks like something that I want to see. Similar to how I felt about "The Expendables" last year.

We Bought A Zoo - I would watch a foot massage commercial if Cameron Crowe directed it. The story for this doesn't sound that interesting to me, but Cameron Crowe directed it.

The Adventures of Tin Tin: The Quest for the Unicorn - I am not European and therefore have no idea what Tin Tin really is. I know it's well loved, even beloved in the Old Country, but the reason for me is Spielberg teaming up with Peter Jackson.

The Rum Diary - This film keeps getting pushed back, but I've been wanting to see Johnny Depp play in another work of Hunter S. Thompson's for the longest time. "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" was a bizarre, but absolutely mesmerizing experience. I look forward to more of this tale of a reporter lost amid the daze of revolution, violence sex and drugs. Lots and lots of drugs, it is Thompson of course.

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides - The trailer for this has me yawning. That said, I love Johnny Depp as Jack Sparrow, I love adventure films and my favorite attraction at Disneyland is Pirates of the Caribbean. I'll be there, I just hope a great script turned into an enjoyable film will also.

And then there are several foreign films that I'm looking forward to coming out in 2011, but I'll leave that for another post at another time...

Honor Roll: 2010...

Admit one please...




And here I am with my annual list of the the Top Ten films I enjoyed in 2010...

So, first off as always, this is just my opinion, my taste and my choices. There were plenty of films that came out this year that I liked, some I loved, but these are the ones I'll be getting Blu-Rays of. That means I really enjoyed them enough to put down cold, hard cash. Now, on with my film list for the year of the year that was:



#10 Tron Legacy - I know this film had a lot of negativity surrounding it coming out of the gate. It has flaws, but I thoroughly enjoyed it and the evolving world that TRON had become. It's not been as big a hit as the Mouse had hoped, but it's been a steady trooper at the box office over the last few weeks and is doing well overseas. A sequel/tv series? Depends on final numbers for B.O., DVD/Blu-Ray and merchandise, but I definitely want to return to the grid. Time will tell.

#9 Scott Pilgrim vs. the World - A truly modern, teen fairy tale. Scott Pilgrim was a beautifully crafted gift to film lovers everywhere. Michael Cera was born to play this role. Everything from the cast to the script to the direction was top notch. I have a feeling this one is going to become a cult classic.

#8 The Expendables - I loved the heck out of this film. Is it perfect? No, but it's so much fun. A classic example of an 80's action film brought into the the 21st century. Stallone has proven to be a better director than an actor and I look forward to the day he directs a film he doesn't star in. Oh, and I look forward to "The Expendables 2."

#7 Harry Potter: The Deathly Hollows - I love how the young wizard series is getting steadily darker and more complex. "The Prisoner of Azkaban" was my favorite before this one, but following these characters through their childhood to becoming an adult has been a pleasure. I can't wait for the conclusion.

#6 How To Train Your Dragon - DreamWorks Animation has made some good films and some bad films. Along the way they've made a few great ones. This is one of those. While I still think "Kung Fu Panda" is their only Pixar quality film, Dragon comes mighty close. It's my second favorite film from the studio and if more of Jeffrey's films are like Panda and Dragon then the Lamp and Mouse will have major competition.

#5 Tangled - Walt Disney Animation Studios is moving up. Last year "TPATF" got up to number eleven. This years film not only made it into the top ten, it got into the top five. "Tangled" is the best Disney animated film since the end of the Second Golden Age a decade and a half ago. I look forward to having more films like it.

#4 Kick Ass - Most people mistook this film for an action film. It wasn't, although it had a lot of action. It was a comedy. A brutal, bloody comedy. A great adaptation of the comic. Matthew Vaughn is one of those new directors that I look forward to following. He's one of the people that "get" how to adapt a comic into a film. I don't know if there will be a sequel, but there should be.

#3 Toy Story 3 - Pixar can do no wrong. Even their worst films are better than 90% of all films out there. When I go into a theater to watch one of the Lamp's films I know I'll get my moneys worth. This was a great conclusion to the best trilogy of films ever. There was more heart, emotion and depth in the first ten minutes of this film than almost any film this year.

#2 The Social Network - David Fincher is a genius and an amazing film maker. Putting him in charge of a script by Aaron Sorkin is a brilliant stroke of art and business. I can only hope that Scott Z. Burns script for the 20k remake is as good. This film is a pearcing take on how one man created a new way for the world to interact and how it can almost cost you your soul, and sometimes does.

#1 Inception - Christopher Nolan is like the human version of Pixar. The man can do no wrong. The words "bad Chris Nolan film" have never come out of my mouth. This incredibly complex sci-fi take on who we are and what are dreams make of us was an amazing film to watch. With each scene I just kept thinking to myself: "please do Batman 3." The world that Nolan creates is so facinating and filled with interesting, flawed characters that you want to watch. Just like all Nolan's films.


Runner Ups (in no particular order, mostly):

The Town

Shutter Island

The Infidel

Harry Brown

Get Him to the Greek

Legends of the Guardians

Four Lions

Red

Monsters

The Illusionist

Again, there were many films I like which didn't get on the list. That doesn't mean they weren't any good, it simply means I preferred something else just a bit more. I must admit that there were a lot of films that I was looking forward to this year that didn't make the list and were actually nowhere near my top ten. Films like life are filled with surprises.

Now, on to 2011...

Ten In 10...

Ten, nine, eight, seven...

We're already in spring and almost a third of the way through a new year...

Life steals time so quickly, doesn't it? I thought we'd take the opportunity to look at some of the films coming out over the rest of the year. Here, in alphabetical order are the top ten films I'm most looking forward to seeing in a darkened theater with a big bucket of popcorn. And for good measure, I've thrown in several other films that I'm excited to see that just missed the cut or are just interesting stories that couldn't fit in between One and Ten.


The TOP TEN:

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - The last of the Harry Potter series comes out this year (in two parts) and I'm looking forward to the final batter between the young wizard and he who should not be named. I think Warner has handled this franchise very carefully and created one of the most interesting and iconic series in filmdom.

Inception - Christopher Nolan's new mystery project is high on my list because it's Nolan. He's a brilliant film maker and always gives audiences a reason to buy a ticket, even if we don't know what it's for. Plus, knowing that he's finished with this means he has moved on to another Batman film!

Iron Man 2 - The further adventures of Tony Stark are something I look forward to seeing primarily because of Downey Jr. who is simply inspired casting for the part. I know that someday, another actor will be beneath that metal exterior but I can't imagine them being as good as he is. Sadly, those films will fall under Disney's control of the character.

Kick-Ass - This is a film that I think is going to be a sleeping blockbuster. Most people have never heard of it, but I think when it's all done, this film will be the "300" of 2010. It's got great buzz and a great cast and a geek lovin' cast and crew that have pulled together a non-studio superhero film that is as close to the comic as you can get. And Chloe is going to be the next Dakota Fanning once this is out.

Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time - I know, video game adaptations haven't exactly been something you would compare to "The Lord of the Rings" adaptation, but that could change. This one just made it on to the list. But there were a couple I might have wanted to see more, so it got almost got bumped to a proverbial eleventh slot. I'm still hoping it turns out great. It looks slick, almost too slick, but I hope it's as entertaining as "Pirates" because I know the Suits are hoping it will as well.

The Rum Diary - How can you not like something that combines Johnny Depp and Hunter S. Thompson? If there is any character that Depp seems to meld with as much as Jack Sparrow it's Thompson himself... or at least a variation of him in this semi-autobiographical one.

Scott Pilgrim Vs. the World - This is going to be another sleeper I believe. Based on the five volume comic book series (the fifth one will be out this year), this quirky little adventure/romance will tell the story of Scott, his band and the many loves and loses of his short life. I expect a fun time for sure watching this film as the trailer seems to be very faithful to the graphic novels.

Tangled - No matter what it's called, I expect Disney's next fairy tale to be a very fun film. And a very beautiful one as well. From what I've heard it looks simply stunning. And although there have been troubles, from what I hear the story has come together in a much more cohesive narrative than the early drafts that Keane turned in. I can't wait to see an actual trailer, not the rough, temp bootleg that was leaked on the net a month or so ago. Yes, the tone is edgy, but interior of this film will be all heart.

Toy Story 3 - The swan song of the first computer animated film. The closing chapter of Woody and Buzz. How could I not want to see this? The film that put Pixar on the map puts the period at the end of this sentence and does so with amazing class and depth. I'm there even though the series won't go to infinity and beyond.

Tron Legacy - A sequel twenty-eight years in the making. I'm very excited about seeing this, more so than the original even. I'm crossing my fingers that the script is as good as the graphics/scenes that I've seen. I can't wait to see what develops before and after this film. Without saying much, there are a lot of possibilities that could turn this into the hit Ron Miller and Co. thought it would be back in 1982. Who would have thought he was such a forward thinking genius?

There are several others that are worth of a ticket being bought by Honor Hunter and the crew here at Blue Sky Disney. So I present several previews of tickets I plan on buying.

Ten Honorable Mentions:

The A-Team - The first trailer was "Meh" to me. Too close to the show and not near enough of a reason to sit down and watch it. But this new trailer shows the insane action and fun that this could turn out to be. I pity the fool who doesn't go to see it.

The Beaver - Mel Gibson and Jodie Foster's reuniting for this dark comedy about a man who has his life fall apart and then starts to slowly build it back up with the help of a puppet on his hand is a must see. One of the screenplays that graced Hollywood's Black List, we'll see this year if it deserved the high place on that exclusive list last year.

The Expendables - Everything I've seen about this film looks like a throwback to the glorious 80's action films. And I mean that as a compliment. If you saw Stallone's "John Rambo" film a couple of years ago, you'll notice that the man can direct a good action film. I don't really even think he needs to be in front of the camera. But this looks like a great night out at the cinema.

Jonah Hex - I hope that this adaption of the scarred and tragic bounty hunter is as macabre and fun as some of the comics can be and have been. Casting Josh Brolin is a great choice and if they've gotten the character right I look forward to Hex going after many a wanted man.

Let Me In - I look forward to seeing what they did with this adaptation of the Swedish film "Let The Right One In," based on the best selling Swedish novel. The original was a haunting portrayal of vampire adolescence. I don't usually think these kind of films need to be remade, and I'm still unsure if this will be as good, but I'm willing to hope they didn't screw up a great film by simply making it in English.

The Losers - I really don't know much about this comic. I mean, it's a story that's been played out a thousand times on screen and page, but it appears well crafted, slick and has a cast that's easy on the eyes. The only Loser comic I remember is that WW2 one that I always saw the covers to but never quite had the energy to turn the page. Still it didn't have Zoe Saldana in it. The director of it, Sylvain White, is someone to watch since he's attached to direct a comic property I've loved since childhood: "Frank Miller's Ronin." Hopefully, this will be a great popcorn flick instead of a theft of two hours of my time.

Predators - This looks like it's the film that "Predators 2" should have been... but with Arnold, of course. I used to have the actual script to this and now that it's coming out I wonder how much has changed, but I'm not willing to look at it. I want to be surprised when I watch this later this year. Perhaps they'll get it right and show the Suits at Fox how badly they screwed up a franchise and why they should have never made those horrid, horrid "Aliens vs Predator" films.

Red - Another Bruce Willis actioner, but it's based on an insane comic about a former black-ops agent who has gone into retirement, forced back into action when a high-tech assassin him and his family. Never heard that one before, eh? But the comic is actually quite fun and if they can capture it on film then it should be lots of testosterone fun.

Solomon Kane - The adaptation of one of Robert E. Howard's non-Conan heroes looks friken cool. I love it and it seems that the picture takes a faithful, yet new interpretation of the classic, Puritan avenger. I'm there, if they ever announce a release date.

The Social Network - David Fincher's take on the creation of Facebook based on the adaptation of the book, "The Accidental Billionaires." Sorkin writes great material and with Fincher heading up the film, I expect it to be a compelling drama worthy of the price of admission.

The Best Of The First...

Of the first decade of the twenty-first century, that is...

I figured as long as everyone was making lists and I was doing the same, I'd list the top ten films of the last decade for me (2000 - 2009). Notice I said "for me." This is a list of what I liked and what was important to me and in my own opinion. Not what was the most "culturally relevant" or "critically praised" or even "cinematic statements." This is what Honor Hunter liked and what he/I felt were the most significant films to me. If you don't agree, so be it. Everyone has an opinion. Put it on your blog.

So, here is the list, starting in no order and no ranking:



Lord of the Rings - In my opinion, the best trilogy of films ever made. As much as I love Star Wars, it has far more flaws than Peter Jackson's sweeping, poignant and epic adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien's masterpiece. Although "The Fellowship of the Ring" is the best, they all hold up remarkably well. I personally prefer the special editions because you can never get enough Middle Earth, can you?



The Dark Knight - the brilliant realization of my favorite comic book character. An example of pop culture transcending art and rising above something that is just commercial. Christopher Nolan's brutal, raw telling of the madness a man goes through to save or destroy a city is chillingly intelligent, thought provoking and thrilling all at once. And again anytime you put it back in to watch.



The Incredibles - Brad Bird's wonderful twist on superhero comics. He takes what could essentially be a parody of Fantastic Four and spins it around. What "Watchmen" does for the dark side of comics, this film did for the lighter side of that medium. The first ten minutes of this film has more heart and crafting of story than just about anything that came out over the entire decade. To watch Edna Mold go to work with Mr. Incredible was a wonderful joy. Each and every character was real, not a cardboard cutout like you'd find in a hundred other, horrid adaptations of the comics medium.



Oldboy - A truly, mind altering experience that is pure cinema. This is Chan-wook Park's brilliant adaption of a popular Japanese manga that is nothing less that stunning. The story of a man who is taken one night for his family, locked in a room for fifteen years and then suddenly let go so as to exact revenge on who did this. The film is incredibly well crafted and doesn't follow Hollywood convention. And the ending pays off, unlike most movies.



Battle Royale - An adaptation of Japanese novel by Koushun Takami. This one set in an alternate reality where a group of school kids are kidnapped and sent to an island where they have to fight and kill each other to survive till the end of a brutal indoctrination called The Program. Kinji Fukasaku's adaption is primal and tragic all at once while still gripping you till the end to see what happens and who survives. Not for the faint of heart, but filled with the emotion of the heart.



Irréversible - Gaspar Noé's film about the repercussions of violence and what happens when we lose control of what makes us human and what makes us civilized. The most brilliant part of it is that it's told in reverse. From the closing credits we see the devastation of something horrible and the story unfolds literally in reverse. The film moves all the way backward with you realizing each moment how everything before has affected the characters. When the end/beginning happens the realization of how precious those moments of life come into perspective and the decisions we make seem far more important... and sadly, irreversible.



Casino Royale - the bold rebooting of the Bond franchise that takes Ian Fleming's secret agent back to where he all started. Based on the first novel about the character, which has never been done justice, the film has an incredibly adult and intelligent script and is told in such a more realistic style than most of the Bond films of the last couple decades. Daniel Craig IS Bond. The best one since Connery... actually the only one since him. All others are pale imitations, only pale shadows.



The 40 Year Old Virgin - The Judd Apatow comedy that is vulgar, crass and genuine. A film that I didn't want to see. It just didn't appeal to me, from the poster to the preview. And then the reviews came in and my friends saw it. I always trust their taste, since it's similar to mine. After seeing it, I was amazed. It may sound strange to some, but I felt it could have been up for Best Picture that year. Not every film that's nominated needs to be a serious drama or action film. A film of this delicate humor is just as difficult to make as a period piece or a sweeping historical epic. Steve Carell is all at once honest and sincere in his portrayal of an awkward, lovable man that just can't seem to grow up.





The Departed/Infernal Affairs - Martin Scorsese's American adaptation of the intense Infernal Affairs is just as great. Both films follow the seedy side of the underbelly of the crime world. The Chinese version (whose actual name translates to "The Non-Stop Path") follows a cop trying to penetrate a criminal organization in Hong Kong instead of Scorsese's Boston. Both are engrossing tales of human loss and destruction that are compelling on a larger human canvas. If you haven't seen the original, I highly recommend it.



Amélie - Jean-Pierre Jeunet's sweet, innocent take on love and life for a young Parisian girl and all the thing she does to help others as she travels through life living/loving/experiencing. A truly joyful take on growing up, falling in love and looking at life through the prism of such a sweet, angelic perspective. And as with any film by Jeunet, a visual feast. The camera is a glorious paintbrush in his hands. Great film for lovers or lovers of film.



Almost Famous - Cameron Crowe's lyrical tribute to his childhood. A wonderful coming of age story in a time not of innocence, but naivete and excess. The semi-autobiographical tale of a young kid that goes on the road with a rock band to document their tour for Rolling Stone magazine is a love letter to rock & roll in all its sweet and sad aspects. The characters are all too real and the story is a joy to just sit back and watch... oh, and the music ain't too bad either.

And now on to the next decade of films...

The Last Look Back...

Ok, I know everyone has their favorite films of 2009 and lots of websites/blogs put up their "Best Of" lists last week or so. I didn't want to get caught in all the clutter, so I waited till the first week of the new year. Those that were wondering what were my faves, runner ups and honorable mentions? Here you have it...

Honor's Top Ten Films of 2009:




Number 10 - Sherlock Holmes

Surprised? Not near as much as I was. I had zero interest in seeing this film. Absolutely none. The trailer looked like such a desecration of Arthur Conan Doyle's classic character. But the reviews kept coming up glowing. My friend that saw the film and felt protective about these historic characters of literature flipped for it, so I gave it a chance and went and seen it. And I loved it. It's an entirely different take, but it does feel the spirit and essence of Holme lies there. The casting of Downey Jr. and Law is brilliant and inspired. I had two problems with the story/script as the film was going along and by the end the major one was absolved and the minor point I had was abated. I can't wait for the sequel, but please don't let Brad Pitt turn out to be Moriarty... that would be a crime. One Sherlock Holmes couldn't solve.



Number 9 - Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

I've loved the Harry Potter franchise since the Willie Wonka type fun of the original all the way through the darkening turns of poor Harry's life. I've gotten older and watched these three young actors grow up with their roles. With each film delving deeper into the dark secrets of Voldermort and his link to Harry. It's truly been a grand adventure and this film leading into the final book was a wonderful exploration of the pain of growing up; with or without a wand. Looking forward to the final battle.



Number 8 - Star Trek

I've never been a Trekkie or Trekker or whatever the latest interation is. I grew up a child of Star Wars, raised by George Lucas before he betrayed me, before he went to the Dark Side. That's why when I saw this film I was amazed at how fun it was... how much more like Star Wars than Trek it was. I know that'll offend some diehard fans, but it's how it felt and it a good way. The story of how Kirk and Spock met was a grand adventure and a great way to reboot a franchise. Now, if Disney or someone can pry the work of the Skywalkers away from Lucas, I'd suggest doing the same. But clearly, this is a new series of Star Trek films that will live long and prosper.



Number 7 - Avatar

The story of this film has been done a dozen times before. You're not going to see a revolutionary story with "Avatar," but you are going to see it told revolutionary. Not that the story isn't good, it is. But the way Cameron shows it has to be seen. It's essentially a Western told from the point of view of the Indians, set in space. Only in this case, the fantasy of a primitive civilization winning happens. It's a grand adventure and one I highly recommend you going on. Those that were expecting Jim to drop the ball will have to keep waiting.



Number 6 - The Hangover

I laughed, I cried. I laughed while crying. Without a doubt, the funniest thing I saw all year. My friends and I were just rolling in our seats watching this bachelor party gone awry turn into such an engrossing comedy. This film was so good that the studio asked for a sequel before the first one was out. And if you have seen it and left when the credits started; shame on you. Sit through them and watch the night before unfold for you. A great comedy, a great film.




Number 5 - The Hurt Locker

A gripping thriller/drama that has you from the get go. Kathyrn Bigelow, long known as someone that can hang with the boys, pulls out her best film. Ever. The story of a bomb disposal unit in Iraq from the viewpoint of their new, brash and risky new member is a fresh wonderful take on war films. Unlike recent films, it doesn't try to demean the military or preach politics. The film is decidedly apolitical and focuses on the human cost of war. To you and all those around you. And if you're a casting agent for the adaption of "Unchated" then take a good look at Jeremy Renner for the part of Nathan Drake. He's spot on and so is this movie.


Number 4 - District 9

The second biggest surprise I had at a screening this year. Neill Blomkamp's fictional sci-fi documentary is a riveting portrayal of life after dying aliens make contact with humanity. Filmed for a tenth of what "Avatar" cost, this story displays a heart that most big budget features forget to include or simply leave behind. Sharlto Copley Sharlto Copley delivers a vulnerable portrait of a flawed man who is stripped quite literally of his humanity after becoming contaminated by a foreign substance. This is intelligent geekiness at its best.




Number 3 - 500 Days of Summer

A bittersweet, urban fairytale about love and loss. Joseph Gordon-Levitt plays a hopeless romantic that finds himself going back into his life trying to figure out why his girlfriend dumped him. This little fable is a great way to reacquaint yourself with why you fall in love and what happens when it all falls apart. I felt all bubbly after the credits started to roll on this little film. If you're a fan of the romantic comedy, this ain't it. If you're a fan of love and falling in it then put it in and push play. A fine, enchanting greeting card to your heart.




Number 2 - Up in the Air

Jason Reitman has a knack for the type of source material that I love. George Clooney hasn't been this fun to watch since "Out of Sight." I had a hard time putting this at number two on the list. It could have easily been number one. Both my top choices could have switched places at a moments whim. I love them both, but the only similarity they have is their title and being great films. Clooney plays a man who has lived his life on the road. He comes to a point where he has to confront if what he's been/done is really a life at all. It's the most unconventional of road films. He takes pause on his life and what it's all about when his livelihood is threatened by a young, corporate upstart. His life as well as hers evolves in ways unexpected that never go unchallenged. An intelligent, introspective look into ones life from the outside and inside. I loved it and it loved me back.



Number 1 - Up

Yes, Carl and his crew are my favorite film of the year. Believe it or not; for a person that runs a Disney blog, a Disney film (Pixar or not) rarely winds up being my favorite film of the year. That first four minute or so montage just hooks you in and makes you love this old Curmudgeon. Russell and Dug take you on a wonderful, quirky adventure that treats you to another Pixar masterpiece. I love this film far more than Pete Docter's first effort "Monsters Inc." and it's clear that Docter has grown tremendously as a director. I saw this film three times before I moved on to other films and the memory of it still left a deep impression. If you haven't seen it in theaters, then you need to go out and have a Blockbuster night. It'll make you believe a house can fly. Really.

Almost Made It:



Princess and the Frog

Yes, I can already hear some of you screaming. Sorry, it didn't make the top ten, but it got close. It could qualify as number eleven. It almost made it as number ten, but near the end of the year I saw "Sherlock Holmes" and 221B Baker Street's most famous resident beat out the Frog Princess. But make no mistake about my love for this film. It's a lovely, warm and wet kiss to hand-drawn animation. A very good story with amazingly beautiful 2D animation. And not the last one made with pencils as some of you have been worrying about. Go see it if you haven't yet. If you have seen it, go again. It won't disappoint you.



Where the Wild Things Are

Spike Jonze' take on the classic children's book is a dark, visually haunting stir of imagery and emerging adolescence. Many people were unhappy with the unresolved ending, but that's life and that's childhood. It doesn't end at a clear point just like this film.




Runner Ups:

The Lovely Bones

Peter Jackson's lovely adaption of the best selling novel about a girl's murder told from her viewpoint in heaven. Beautiful and hard to watch all at once.

Public Enemies

Johnny Depp was great as John Dillinger and Michael Mann had a great script. Now if he would have made it in film or at least something that looked like film. His HD is too unforgiving.

Bronson

A young man robs a post office and gets sentenced to seven year in jail only to spend thirty-four years in prison, thirty of it in solitary confinement. A brutal look at what keeps a man sane or insane, depending on your perspective. A crushing observation of the cult of celebrity culture.

Black Dynamite

I love old, classic Blaxploitation like "Coffey," "Black Caesar" and "Super Fly." I happen to also be a big fan the "Austin Powers" films. And where "Undercover Brother" fails, this film soars at. It's a great film to watch and enjoy, even if you've never seen "Shaft." Shut yer mouth.

And so Blue Sky Disney say goodbye to 2009 and look forward to the new year, the coming movies and all the other surprises that await...

Best Film Of 2009...

A nice start...





Time Magazine is out with their Top 10 List of Everything and in it is the Top 10 List of Films as well...

1. The Princess and the Frog
2. Up
3. Fantastic Mr. Fox
4. The Hurt Locker
5. Up in the Air
6. The White Ribbon
7. A Single Man
8. Of Time and the City
9. District 9
10. Thirst

So the top two were films from the Mouse. And the top one was from Disney's animation unit. Nice. I'll have my own comments/review of "The Princess and the Frog" later this week. But it's nice that the first hand-drawn film from WDAS in over half a decade has received glowing reviews and Time considers it the number one film of the year. Take that, Michael Eisner!

Now, work on "Rapunzel" steadily moves on...

Honor's Top Ten Of 2008...

Since everyone seems to be compiling "Best Of" lists I figured I'd join in. Honor Hunter is nothing if not a sheepish slave to conformity. Or so some commentors would say...

It was a great year for film...

Despite the fact that Disney didn't have a great year, there were a lot of very good films for Movie Buffs/Film Geeks to go out and see not made by the Mouse. Without further ado, here are my favorite ten of the year:


Number 10: Valkyrie

More a caper film than a war movie. An extremely well crafted film featuring an all-star cast led by Mr. Box Office himself. The only flaw was in not having Cruise do an accent, which at times took you out of the film to realize you were watching a Tom Cruise. Brian Singer does a great job of making you root for these men to succeed in killing Hitler and ending the war. Although we know it didn't succeed, you feel that there is a possibility it will. Again, a great film.


Number 9:The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

David Fincher continues to make amazing films. This telling of a man who grows younger as he grows older is pure Hollywood. Many actors would love to be able to do this, btw... Brad Pitt does a great job of being the muse to Fincher's song, so to speak. This film is the anti-Gump film with a much more bittersweet screenplay by Eric Roth(Forrest Gump). If you love sweeping epics and seeing why Hollywood invented the Oscar then this film is for you.


Number 8:Wall-E

The guys at Pixar did in again by bringing a piece of metal to life and making you care for it. Although I feel the first act is the strongest, this film is filled with genuine heart and strong storytelling by Andrew Stanton. If the Lamp has done anything right over the past decade it's been to populate their films with memorable characters and the little robot has plenty of them to share screen time with. John Lasseter and his crew still know how to show the other guys how to make a film, not that they're listening when you see some of what gets made.


Number 7:The Wrestler

Mickey Rourke is nothing short of astounding in this gut wrenching tale of a has-been wrestler whose best days are behind him. He tries to reconnect with his estranged daughter and strike up a romance with a has-been stripper played by Marisa Tomei. A heart wrenching portrait of a man who abandoned his past and has no future. Not for the timid, but worth seeing none-the-less...


Number 6:Forgetting Sarah Marshall

This acidically innocent romantic comedy produced by Judd Apatow and staring its writer Jason Segel as a television music composer who gets dumped by his more successful TV star girlfriend is just fun. Fun in all the right ways. It's message of love is truly crude and naive all at once. Some have said this film is this years "40 Year Old Virgin" because of the Judd Apatow association, but I'd say it's more akin to this decade's "Something About Mary" than any other film.


Number 5:Iron Man

Robert Downey Jr. was the one Jon Favreau fought for in this adaption of the Marvel Comic character and I'm so glad he got his way. This film would have lost so much had Downey not been in the role. This was a great, faithful adaption of the super-hero with demons in his past that the casting gets so right. Not as somber or bleak as a film like "The Dark Knight," but an extremely entertaining one. I look forward to the sequel and Favreau being able to paint Tony Stark's world on broader canvas.


Number 4:Kung Fu Panda

My favorite animated film comes not from Disney or Pixar this year, but from the hit and miss studio of Jeffrey Katzenberg's Dreamworks. I love, love, love "Kung Fu Panda." I had heard good buzz going in so I expected it to be a nice film. I was stunned. This tale of a Karate loving, overweight Panda is so spot on in its humor and the homage to 70's Hong Kong films. If Dreamworks starts doing more films like this there's going to be a lot of sweating going on the Disney lot in Burbank. I can't recommend this film enough...


Number 3:Quantum of Solace

While not as good as "Casino Royale," this James Bond film is a great sequel that feels like the second part of a mini-series we've waited two years for the conclusion of. Daniel Craig returns as the less refined 007 that's on a mission for country and conscious. I love that we get to see him slowly evolve into the character audiences have come to love for over forty years. Some want the next one to continue right after this one like Solace did with Royale, but once you get to the end you know that can't happen. Craig's Bond is finally becoming the Bond we love. By the closing credits you know he's ready to order that Martini shaken, not stirred.


Number 2:Slumdog Millionaire

Wow. What can I say about this film, but that it's truly a parable of life. A fairy tale of love that transcends race and culture. I had to grapple with whether or not this was better than "The Dark Knight." Chris Nolan's film won out... barely. This film is an astounding achievement that I thought couldn't happen. Boyle's "Trainspotting" has always been his best achievement until now. He topped it with this amazing cinematic experience. If there is one film on this list that you should see, it's this one. I can't wait to get the Blu-Ray for this one to show my friends that don't live near a theater showing it. But the home experience doesn't do it justice. If you have the opportunity, go and see this film in a theater...


Number 1:The Dark Knight

Ever once and a while a pop-culture film moves beyond being a money machine and achieves that rare form of art. This is such a film. It works on so many subtle levels. Everything from the acting to the directing to the script is perfect. I know that some of the performances have been overshadowed by Heath Ledger's performance/passing, but everyone in this film deserves to be acknowledged for the great work they did. This is the opus of all comic book films. While it is faithful to the comic book character, it evolves into something far more resonate. If ever a comic book movie could show Suits the potential of these things to be true art and truly profitable, this was that film.

Honor(able) mention:

There were a lot of films that were very good, but didn't make it into the top ten. Of special note are "Bolt," "Hellboy II: The Golden Army," "Tropic Thunder," "Burn After Reading" and "The Incredible Hulk" which just missed getting in...

Top Ten Films Domestic/International 2008.

If money talks then these films spoke volumes...

2008 U.S. Domestic Box-Office Top Ten

1. The Dark Knight - $530.9 million
2. Iron Man - $318.3 million
3. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull - $317.0 million
4. Hancock - $227.9 million
5. WALL-E - $223.8 million
6. Kung Fu Panda - $215.4 million
7. Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa - $174.9 million
8. Twilight - $167.3 million
9. Quantum of Solace - $164.3 million
10. Dr. Seuss' Horton Hears a Who! - $154.5 million


2008 Worldwide Box-Office Top Ten

1. The Dark Knight - $996.9 million
2. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull - $786.6 million
3. Kung Fu Panda - $631.9 million
4. Hancock - $624.4 million
5. Iron Man - $581.9 million
6. Mamma Mia! - $572.2 million
7. Quantum of Solace - $537.1 million
8. WALL-E - $507.3 million
9. Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa - $457.2 million
10. The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian - $419.6 million

Notice a little problem with that list? Only one Disney film on it... "Wall-E". And even that was from Pixar which the Mouse bought a couple years ago. This is quite a change from the last couple years where Disney had been at the top or near it...

Narnia isn't counted because it's mainly a co-production with Walden Media and they, not Disney, own the copyright. Here's to a bigger and better 2009.

AFI's Top 10 Films Of 2008...

The American Film Institute has come out with their top ten films of 2008 and a little robot lies somewhere inside it...

AFI TOP 10 Movies(in alphabetical order):

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.
The Dark Knight.
Frost/Nixon.
Frozen River.
Gran Torino.
Iron Man.
Milk.
Wall-E.
Wendy and Lucy.
The Wrestler.